Yesteryears
by xPaige Turnerx
Summary: 'No matter how you spin it; Esme would always be Bella's mom.' One-shot. AU. A/B Es/C Em/R E/J. R&R!    These selections of genres don't fit...


**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight… I think that pretty much goes without saying.**

**Rated: T.**

**Author: Paige Turner.**

**Summary: 'No matter how you spin it; Esme would always be Bella's mom.' One-shot. AU. A/B Es/C Em/R E/J. R&R! ^^**

Renee jerked forward, catching her daughter just in time. She had warned Bella about the shoe laces and even advised double knotting them, but Bella had insisted she was a big girl who didn't need double knots. Renee looked down at Bella who clung to her coat, scowling down at her shoe laces that had come untied. Renee kneeled down, retying Bella's laces. "Didn't I tell you?" She laughed, smiling lovingly up at her daughter.

Bella looked away, blushing; she was still embarrassed that she stumbled in front of all these people. "Double knot them, please." She whispered, shoving her mittened hands into her pockets.

Renee dusted off her knees, offering out her hand for Bella to take, who did so immediately. "Come on, sweetie, Esme's waiting." The two set off down the sidewalk again, making their way to the restaurant they always met Esme at for lunch, before the three set off for a day of shopping.

That had been the routine for two years now; meet Esme for an early lunch, then spend the day together before going home to Charlie. It started when Bella had turned three and Renee was taking her out for the day. They had stopped in for something to eat, but Renee had lost track of Bella in the large crowd of people. She had found her wiping away her tears as she held the hand of a woman who Renee had never seen around town before. Esme had seemed so taken to Bella that the three met up the next day, same time and same place. Two years later, they still spent three days of the week together.

"Bella! You've gotten so big since last week!" Esme's voice chimed as Renee and Bella approached the booth in the very back of the restaurant.

"Esme, you _must_ tell me how you do it. You haven't changed the slightest still. I'm jealous!" Renee laughed, helping Bella into the booth. Jealous and curious. There were a few things Renee had noticed over the years; the fact that Esme seemingly hadn't aged a day, how she always had to cancel their plans when the sun was out, and how she had never seen Esme eat anything. That was one of the reasons she hadn't invited Esme over; she wouldn't know what to serve. That and the fact that Charlie was a hermit and didn't like people coming over. He had never even _met_ Esme! Though Renee hadn't met any of Esme's family either. There was always some excuse not to.

None of that mattered though; Esme was a genuine, kind, caring, and loving woman. Renee knew how much Esme loved Bella, and because Bella had no aunts or uncles on either side of the family, no one but herself and Charlie, Renee made Esme Bella's Godmother. Renee was sure she had never seen anyone happier than Esme had been when she asked her.

"I'm not sure you could handle the secret." Esme joked, but knew it to be truth in her mind. Esme looked to Bella, her golden eyes sparkling with love. "Your hair cut looks lovely, Bella."

Bella blushed again, her uniquely powerful, freesia scent becoming stronger. In the beginning, it had taken it's toll on Esme's thirst, but now it didn't even faze her. "Thank you, Esme." Bella replied, fiddling with a lock of her hair. The woman hadn't done much, just trimmed the ends and gave her Cleo bangs. "How's Alice?" She asked.

Esme smiled. Over the years, since she knew Bella couldn't _meet_ her family (Bella and Renee were Esme's little secret not even Edward the Mind Reader knew) she would tell her stories about them. Bella seemed to like them all, though she was always specifically asking about Alice. "She's good, dear. Why do you ask?" She wondered.

Bella shrugged her shoulders, doodling on the colouring sheet the waitress brought over as Renee ordered for them both. Esme politely declined. "Just making sure."

Esme laughed. "Is she your favourite?"

Bella furrowed her brows, thinking. She liked Carlisle, Esme's husband, and how nice he sounded. He had adopted Edward when he was alone, and then the rest of the kids with Esme, plus he fixed people at the hospital. But she also liked Jasper, the quietest son. She'd spend hours trying to hear his accent in her mind. She thought it was also very nice when Esme said he made the family happy when they were sad or mad. Then there was Rosalie, the eldest daughter who was strong and looked after her younger siblings. Bella wished she had a Rosalie. And and Emmett; someone to make her laugh, goof around, and play games with, but that would also keep her safe. Edward always sounded so sad, but Bella would have loved to hear him play the piano; Bella was trying to learn but it was very hard. Esme was always saying that he could read people like a book, and Bella liked reading books. She thought they would be good friends if they ever met. Lastly, there was Alice, Esme's baby. She loved to sing and dance and talk and shop, she liked drawing and making clothes. She was always chipper, and had a little bit of everyone in her. Alice was so completely different from Bella, and Bella decided _that_ was why she was so drawn to Alice.

Bella nodded. "Next to you, of course. You're my _very_ favourite, Esme. My second mommy." She replied.

Esme beamed, lightly patting Bella's hand. Renee just shook her head and laughed quietly at her daughter's ability to make people love her. There was just something about her; she wasn't…charming, but she somehow still managed to charm people.

"So, are you girls ready for a day of shopping?" Renee asked. Bella groaned; she didn't like shopping, and the only reason she went on the shopping trips was to visit with Esme. She kind of hated shopping, really.

**XxXxXxX**

The tiny car sped down the highway; the windshield wipers on the fastest setting. Inside, Renee grumbled. "Can't see a _thing._" The rain was making it exceptionally hard to see for the human.

In the back seat, Bella and Esme were playing a game of I Spy. Bella looked around, searching for something yellow. "I give up! I can't see it." She finally said, looking up at Esme.

Esme frowned, seeing the beam of yellow light separating Bella's side of the seat and her own. Shouldn't Bella have seen it too? Did Renee? Because it was definitely from someone's headlights. "Are there cars coming against us?" Esme asked.

Renee frowned. "Not that I can s-"

"Oh! There!" Bella chimed, pointing at the beam that was growing brighter and brighter as each second ticked by.

Renee screamed, slamming on her breaks. The car skidded and slid through the layer of rain water on the road. Bella heard a semi's horn blast and saw Esme reach out for her with a panicked face. Both she and Esme lurched forward in their seats as the front of the car collided with the semi. The back end slipped in the water still, whipping around. Bella was thrown away from Esme's reaching hands and into her door, her head smashing the window. Esme screamed, the sweet, thick smell of blood filling the car; wafting from the front _and_ Bella's side. The car had finally come to a stop; the front half the size it was before, and Bella slumped forward against her belt. "B-Bella?" Esme whispered, reaching out again with shaking hands. _No. No, no, no. It can't be. No!_

Her door was opened and weak, warm arms were pulling her out and away from the car. It was then that she also smelled the smoke; and it was hard to imagine she had missed it before. Was it possible for vampires to go into shock? Another bystander was dragging Renee away too, and Esme flinched, looking somewhere else, away from her bloodied and battered friend. She could hear no heartbeats over all the noise of the rain, the cars backed up and honking, yelling, and the distant sirens that were getting louder and louder. A third man was carrying Bella's limp form in his arms from the wreck, blood steadily running down the side of her face.

Esme struggled, barely, free from the man's arms, striding over to Bella. An ambulance pulled up in front of her, forcing her to stop. She watched numbly as they loaded both Renee and Bella into the vehicle and sped them off to the hospital, She walked away from the scene and into the woods where she blurred off, running to the hospital.

Esme paced the waiting room, walking back and forth, back and forth, trying not to speed. Charlie had stormed in, ignoring everyone and had burst into the Emergency Room, where they all had been for the past two hours. Esme couldn't stand the waiting; she needed to know if they were okay and she needed to know now! The other families in the waiting room watching the pacing woman who was growing angrier and angrier by the second, with weary eyes. They preyed she would receive good news, in fear of what she would do if it was bad.

At long last, the doors to the hall that led to the Emergency Room opened. Charlie looked terrible. His hair was a mess and sticking up where he had run his hands through it, bags were already starting to form under unfocused, puffy red eyes, and he was as pale as a ghost. Esme darted over to him. "You don't know me, but my name is Esme; I'm a friend of Renee's-"

Charlie's breath caught in his throat; his eyes that were still unfocused and staring at the wall, watered up again. "Renee. My Renee…gone. Forever…" He whispered out, broken. "I'll never see her again."

Esme's ebony eyes filled with tears that would never fall. "And…And Bella?" She asked, picturing Bella slumped forward in her seat with blood running down the side of her face.

Charlie hadn't heard her. Hell, he hadn't heard or _seen_ anyone since they announced Renee's death. "Dead. Gone. She's gone…" His sweet, sweet Renee was gone…

Esme gasped. Bella…was _gone_? "But her injuries weren't that _bad_!" Esme sobbed, holding her face in her hands. Not Bella…she was just a baby! Not her Bella…

A man came jogging into the waiting room, with slicked back blonde hair, and concerned gold eyes. "Esme! What's happened? I came as soon as you called!" Carlisle asked, wondering what his wife was doing all the way in Forks, Washington. And why she was in a hospital for that matter. He could see she wasn't physically hurt, and even if she _was_, the doctors here wouldn't be able to help her. Esme just cried harder, letting Carlisle take her home. She would not answer anyone's questions about what happened that day; even Edward wouldn't get them from her. Her smiles would be fewer and wouldn't quite reach her eyes for a long time after that, and on that day every year, she would hold up in her room, not answering the door for anyone.

Charlie numbly walked down the hospital hall. He stopped outside a door, clearing his throat before entering. Bella looked up from the bed, wincing, and touched the big white bandage on her temple. The doctor in the room offered a sad, sympathetic smile to Charlie.

Charlie sat down on the bed beside Bella. "How are you feeling, Bells?" He asked, his voice thick. Bella was his saving grace; he wasn't sure what he would have done if she didn't make it either.

Bella looked up at her dad, frowning. "I-I don't know. What happened?" She asked, trying to remember.

Charlie frowned the same from. "You and your mother were in a car a-accident. Don't you remember?" Bella thought hard and shook her head. Charlie panicked. "You-you were out shopping for the day like you do three times a week with one of your mother's friends." He further explained.

Bella was pulling a blank. "We do?"

Charlie was frantic now. "Yes! You've been doing it for three _years_!"

He looked to the doctor with wide eyes. The doctor simply frowned. "It's common for young children to suffer from memory loss after a traumatic event. It's the brain blocking out anything to do with the incident, rather than deal with it."

Charlie ran a hand through his hair. "Will she ever get the memory back?"

The doctor shrugged. "That's up to chance; she may remember bits and pieces over time, she may remember everything at once sooner or later, or she may remember nothing about it ever."

All Bella got from the entire conversation was that she and her mommy were in an accident and she couldn't remember stuff. "Is mommy okay?" She asked.

Charlie's lower lip quivered. "Mommy is…g-gone, Bells." He choked out. "We're going to be moving to Phoenix for a while. It's where mommy wanted to be buried; with _her_ mommy." He said.

Bella felt a numb cloud wash over her.

**XxXxXxX** **12 Years Later XxXxXxX**

Bella ran her finger along the dust covered dresser, walking over to the window, and leaned her forehead on it. Charlie shifted behind her in the doorway. "Just how you left it, eh?" He grunted.

Bella closed her eyes. "I wouldn't know." She couldn't remember her life here in Forks, she could barely remember the first apartment they lived in, in Phoenix.

Charlie scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Right. Sorry."

Bella tried to make the smile reach her eyes as she turned around to face her father. "It's fine."

Charlie nodded. "Alright. Uh, when you're done unpacking, come outside; I've got a surprise."

Bella decided that Charlie got an A for effort as he noisily descended the stairs. He tried, he really did, and Bella loved him fiercely, but Bella never really thought of him as a parent. He was just her dad, Charlie. As a dad, he was as good as they got; he loved her, protected her, they were buddies; he could make her laugh and they just got along great no matter where they were or what they did. But, as far as parenting went he was lacking. School, dentist appointments, doctor appointments, clothing, groceries, _soap and shampoo_, dinner, and house cleaning… He just didn't think of it. Luckily, Bella was older than her years, and took care of all of that.

And that's exactly what she got on after she was done unpacking. Clothes were already taken care of; she just went shopping back in Phoenix for them both. Next she made a list in the washroom; soap, shaving cream, shampoo, tooth paste, mouth wash, etc. Then there was groceries; fruits, veggies, meats, diary, and Charlie's favourite - fish. Which was technically a meat. While still in the kitchen, she made _another_ list; Windex, paper towel, dish soap, air freshener, broom, vacuum, mop. After that, she looked up the numbers for the hospital, dentist, and school; labelling them and taping them to the wall above the phone.

With the lists and a wad of cash in her pocket, Bella grabbed her coat and headed outside. Her foot slipped on the last step of the porch and she jerked forward. Charlie was there, chuckling as he caught her. "Can't blame the sun in your eyes here, Bells." He laughed. Bella just rolled her eyes with a smile while she slid on her coat. She looked up at the two men in their driveway with them. They must have been from the reservation Charlie had told her about on their way to the house. The first, she realized with a start, was actually a boy. He had black hair cropped short, with dark eyes surrounded by thick lashes, who had to be close to seven feet, muscular, and had an interesting tribal tattoo on his shoulder. The second looked like an older version of the first, just not as tall or muscular, with long hair, and was in a wheel chair. "This is Jacob and Billy Black, Bells. We used to know them back when we lived out here; they flew out for your mother's funeral."

Bella stiffened at the mention of her mother, like always, but relaxed right away again, smiling warmly. "Nice to meet you."

"They were nice enough to give you this truck as a 'welcome back' gift." Charlie grinned, motioning to the old, red chevy sitting in the driveway in front of a newer, shinier truck.

Bella felt an extremely warm arm wrap around her shoulders. She looked up to see Jacob frowning at the woods across the street; his nose crinkled. Bella subtly sniffed her hair and shoulder, mentally sighing in relief. Whatever he smelled, it wasn't her. She stepped out of Jacob's embrace and to the truck, not liking him touching her like that. It was almost possessive.

Jacob blinked, looking to Bella again with that grin of his. "It's not much, but at least it runs." He laughed.

Bella looked at it, a small smile pulling at her lips. "No, it's great. Saves me from having to walk in the rain."

Bella looked back at the smiling, laughing Charlie who was talking with Billy, and then to the truck. Perhaps Forks would turn out better than she thought.

**XxXxXxX**

Esme walked down the hall, gathering clothes from everyone's room to put in the wash. She hesitated picking up Rosalie's ripped nightgown, before quickly carrying on, trying not to think about it. There was tinkling laughter in the doorway. "Don't worry, it's not what you think - she's just a very restless sleeper." Alice had been in a very sarcastic mood lately.

Esme smiled at her pixie like daughter with her ink black hair, short and spiked out in every direction, her wide gold eyes surrounded by thick black lashes, currently swimming with mirth, her petite stature and features, and her alabaster skin. "At least I don't have to worry about any of _your_ clothes being ripped or torn." She smirked.

Alice's smile ruined the hurt facade she had on, as she stumbled backwards, holding a hand over her heart. "I'm not sure, but I _think_ you just burnt me, Esme." The only single Cullen joked.

Esme _was_ worried though. In nearly one hundred years, Alice still hadn't found her mate. Alice was the happiest, most energetic, grinning Cullen, but Esme caught the slight frown or misting eyes when everyone sat with their mates, or went off on another honey moon, Alice would leave the house for a 'walk' sometimes and Esme knew it was because she couldn't handle seeing all the couples. Esme smiled lovingly at her daughter. "What are you up to, honey?"

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "Just wandering." She replied, following her mother down the hall to her own room. "Oh yeah." She murmured.

The basket of dirty clothes fell from Esme's hands. "Alice! Did a tornado come through here? !" She exclaimed. All over the floor, bed, desk, hanging from the closet door, and the ceiling light, were clothes. "What _happened?_" She asked.

Alice shrugged again. "I was trying to find this top." She pointed to the _plain_ black T-shirt.

"You better clean this up, Missy." Esme ordered.

Alice looked around the room at the mess and sighed. "Yes, mom." She grumbled.

Esme turned to leave, but paused in the doorway again; something having caught her eye. She set down the basket, paying no attention to Alice's curious stare, and blurred across the room to the desk. There, she lifted off the skirt that was covering a sketch. There was something familiar about the person Alice drew here. "You drew this?" Esme wanted to make sure.

Alice peered over Esme's shoulder and nodded. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

Esme bit her lip. "She looks like someone I used to know. What colour is the hair?"

Alice pictured the girl from her visions. "Brown. Mahogany to be more specific." She replied.

Esme blinked a few times. "You're sure she isn't supposed to have _short_ hair?"

Alice looked at Esme quizzically. "I'm sure. _Long_ mahogany hair. Trust me; I wouldn't get _her_ wrong." Esme looked over with a raised eyebrow and a radiant smile slowly slid onto Alice's face. "It's my mate." She whispered.

Esme's eyes widened. If this was Alice's mate, which she was ecstatic and so pleased to hear, then it couldn't be Renee. Renee was dead and much older. Unless this was… Esme stopped breathing, turning to Alice with those wide eyes. "What other colour does she have?" She asked quietly.

Alice wanted to know why Esme was acting so weird, but answered anyways. "Warm, chocolate brown eyes, a scarlet tint to her cheeks from blushing all the time, and very pale skin, nearly as white as us."

Esme was excited and confused at the same time. "Let me guess; she's terribly clumsy?"

Alice nodded slowly. "That's how we will meet." She furrowed her brows. "Esme, how do you know Bella?"

Esme laughed, she laughed and laughed, and felt like jumping around. She hadn't been this happy in twelve years. "She's alive!" She sang. "She's alive, and she's your mate! You'll love her, I _know_ you will. Let's go see her, can we go see her, please?" Esme asked, the laundry completely forgotten.

Alice blanched. "Um, yes? But she can't see us. We have to meet how I saw it."

Esme nodded and the two raced off through the woods towards the Swan residence.

All the while, Alice told Esme of her visions; how on the first day of school she would catch Bella before she fell in a puddle, how Bella would laugh it off, all the while blushing, and introduce herself. How Alice would walk Bella to class every morning to talk, smile and wave at lunch, and walk her to her car after school. She told Esme how it would get icy and Tyler would lose control of his van, and how she would have to save Bella and Bella would see just how fast Alice could be. She told her how Bella was more curious than scared, and wouldn't tell anyone of her findings. How over the next few weeks after that, Alice would do small, simple things, but how Bella would fall in love with her because of it. How she herself would fall in love with Bella when she would trip and accidentally tackle Alice to the ground in her bedroom, letting them share a moment. How Bella would figure out their secret, and how she would tell Alice 'it didn't matter _what_ she was, only _who_ she was' and how Alice would fall a little more in love with her because of it. She told Esme about the nomads, though it was blurry until she saw Bella in the hospital, about one of the nomads forming an army to get Bella and the truce the Cullens would make with the wolves to fight it. And finally, she told Esme how Bella would be one of them someday soon, and how it would be Alice's turn to go on honeymoons, and sit with _her_ mate, and do all the couple-y stuff the others did.

Alice told Esme the future.

**XxXxXx**

_**Daaaaaamn! It's another one! D:**_

**I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. Quite rushed, but eh, what are you going to do?**

**And don't worry, I'm still working on the others, this was just a one-shot. I've got most of the next chapter to Forget Me Not, I'm about to start on the next one for In The Moonlight, and I'm planning the next of Love Fever 2 in my head right now.**

**Review this one though please. ^^**

**-Paige.**


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